Goa Speaker accepts audit report on illegal mining case

The Speaker of the Goa State Assembly, Rajendra Arlekar, on Friday, accepted a report prepared by Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on illegal mining case, which indicted former chief minister Digambar Kamat and few other Congress leaders in the case.

Talking to reporters in Panaji, Arlekar said it is in the hand of state government, ruled by Bharatiya Janata Party, if they want to take action against the matter.

"A PAC (Pubic Accounts Committee) report was lying in the office of the Speaker in our Legislative Assembly. I have done a routine thing that I have just accepted that report and forwarded it to the government. Now it is in the hands of the government, the government has to take decision, whether they want to take any action on it or not. It is up to them and was a very simple thing and that is a routine action for me and the file was lying in my office, so that has been accepted," said Arlekar.

The report which nailed illegal mining in Goa of worth rupees 4,000 crore (40 billion) was drafted by PAC headed by the then opposition leader and incumbent Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

In the backdrop of facing heat over alleged instances of illegal mining in Goa, Kamat had earlier met Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi.

Earlier, Arlekar's predecessor Pratapsingh Rane reconstituted the PAC that was over looking the illegal mining scam in the state dropped Parrikar as its head.

Parrikar said Rane had no role in the PAC report under Rule 188 of Goa Legislative Assembly.

A PAC report has indicted the chief minister and some of his colleagues in the illegal mining scam.

The PAC report had stated collusion between politicians, bureaucrats and forest officials adding that huge quantities of iron ore have been exported illegally from Goa.

The report also stated that companies running mines have operated in reserved forest areas and in violation of wildlife laws. (ANI)